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Wired did a funny thing this month; which shouldn’t surprise me really because I think they do some funny things quite often, in their own little techno/pop culture view of reality. This one really got me though.

They put a picture of Martha Stewart on their cover. It’s a classic Martha shot: head tilted to one side, the signature blouse, the Colgate teeth, the ageless golden coif… and next to her is a Wii Cake. Yeah, a cake that looks like a Wii.

Classic.

How to:.. Surprise Your Readers
Its Wired’s “How To” issue. At the bottom of their list of topics like, “rule the blogosphere”, “keep batteries charged”, and “get fired properly”, they have “bake a Wii cake.” Scattered on the cover are other tongue-in-cheek references: the issue is dubbed at the bottom, “piece of cake.” At the top, the sub-title “Martha geeks out.” Clearly they’re having some fun with this particular cultural oxymoron. Martha’s probably the last person we’d expect on the cover of a Wired magazine… well, maybe not the last person (considering her sizable branding power)… nominations, anyone?

So, on one hand, while I know both Wired and Martha are cashing in on the Grand Dame of Domesticity… I do appreciate the element of surprise and Wired’s ability to not take itself too seriously.

And maybe it’s the context, but even Martha seems to not be taking herself seriously. Her signature grin almost looks a tad “heh-heh-ish”, like “I know none of you are expecting me to be here, but here I am.” She even says “crap” in her interview (which got her some points from commenter’s).

Granted, my cynical side is arguing against this, saying “prison taught her the financial benefit of the unexpected; she’s just capitalizing on it… and Wired too.” This part of me would probably side with the anti-Martha TreeHugger readers offended by even the slightest Martha endorsement (which this isn’t).

But… aww… that’s just no fun. Its comedy!… and, what with Climate Change and “The War” and AIDS and the fact that Sacramento is spraying pesticide all over our city (and my organic garden) for some lousy mosquito’s, I’m grateful for a visual joke, a witty double-take every once in awhile, even if I know it’s a sales gimmick, contrived to stir up some talk.

These days, Humor and Surprise, anywhere you encounter it, is a breath of fresh air. It’s the same reason why certain YouTube videos like this one (”that’s why they call it business socks”) flit across the globe faster than Superman spinning back time to save Louis Lane from the earthquake. Sometimes you have to go over-the-top to shake things up, to stay out of ruts, to save the planet from the Lex Luthors of the world.

Where’s The Surprise in Development
In our own industry, the elements of surprise and humor are so rare they’re almost non-existent. I think its rather sad, myself, because they are fundamentally human experiences: it’s one of the subtle reasons why development has seemed so distant and removed from the populace— nobody can relate to it.

This is some of what we’re trying to change: Surprise! Development can be Humane. Surprise! Developers can be real people; not a suit and tie with an ego the size of… well… a skyscraper. Surprise! Developers can blog openly and invite others into a dialogue about their work. Surprise! Developers can drive a funny-looking electric car with hand-writing all over it (and think it’s really fun).

I also think the concept of eco-urban is somewhat of a surprise for a lot of people: for so long, cities themselves were viewed (correctly in many cases) as unsafe, unclean, and unattractive (largely thanks to the automobile…). So much so that I sometimes get looks of confusion from people when I talk about the ecological and sociological benefits of building in the urban core of a city. Surprise! Cities are actually the greenest technology we have available. Surprise! Cities will be safer, cleaner places to live in the future. Surprise! Cities built right have a richer quality of life and a greater sense of community, a more established sense of place.

Over the next six months, we’re hoping to do some surprising things… sssshhh, don’t tell… break a few more (breakable) rules and have some fun.

Now we just need Wired to find us… “How to:… redefine an industry.”

Jason